Blame It On The Rain: How The Weather Has Changed History And Shaped Cul ture

(Paperback)

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An amazing, enlightening, and endlessly entertaining look at how weather has shaped our world.

Throughout history, great leaders have fallen, the outcomes of mighty battles have been determined, and the tides of earth-shattering events have been turned by a powerful, inscrutable force of nature: the weather. In Blame It on the Rain, author Laura Lee explores the amazing and sometimes bizarre ways in which weather has influenced our history and helped to bring about sweeping cultural change. She also delights us with a plethora of fascinating weather-related facts (Did you know that more Britons die of sunburn every year than Australians), while offering readers a hilarious overview of humankind's many absurd attempts to control the elements.

• If a weather-produced blight hadn't severely damaged French vineyards, there might never have been a California wine industry. . . .

• What weather phenomenon was responsible for the sound of the Stradivarius

• If there had been a late autumn in Russia, Hitler could have won World War II. . . .

• Did weather play a part in Truman's victory over Dewey

Eye-opening, edifying, and totally unexpected, Blame It on the Rain is a fascinating appreciation of the destiny-altering vagaries of mother nature—and it's even more fun than watching the Weather Channel!

Reviews

"...a fast-paced little number that should help you get through a seasonal doldrum or two." -- Washington Post

"The History Channel meets the Weather Channel in Lee's breezy account. -- Newsday

"Refreshing and thought-provoking. " -- BookPage

"...crisp, direct, and playful while at the same time powerful." -- blogcritics.org

Author Bio

Laura Lee is the author of eight books. She brings to her writing a unique background including stints as a morning show DJ, improvisational comedian and a professional mime. She now lives in her native Michigan where she writes speeches for some of the world's largest corporations and edits her church newsletter.